1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel cell automobile having a fuel cell mounted, for example, below a floor panel of the vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a layout technology for the fuel cell automobile for efficiently arranging the parts that cool the fuel cell and the parts that deliver the fuel to the fuel cell in a space under the floor panel of the fuel cell automobile.
2. Background Information
In a fuel cell system, heat is generated when the fuel cell (fuel cell stack) generates electricity. In order to dissipate the generated heat, the fuel cell is typically cooled using a coolant together with a radiator or other heat exchanger.
When the fuel cell is mounted under the floor or floor panel of the vehicle, it is necessary to circulate the coolant between the fuel cell located under the floor and the radiator located in a front portion of the vehicle.
Meanwhile, in order to secure as much space as possible inside the cabin or vehicle interior, it is desirable to keep the height of the floor panel as low as possible. It is not an easy task to secure sufficient mounting space and a suitable layout under the floor for parts related to the coolant piping and parts for delivering other fluids (e.g., hydrogen, oxygen, and other fuels and oxidizing agents) used for the fuel cell while also keeping the floor height low.
It is also necessary to minimize the accumulation of air inside the piping that can occur when coolant is added (poured into) to the radiator. The accumulation of air inside the piping can also occur during operation of the vehicle. The accumulation of air inside the piping, too, makes it difficult to both secure sufficient space in the cabin and achieve a suitable layout for the piping and related parts for the fuel cell.
As a solution to these issues, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-182379 discloses a fuel-cell-equipped electric automobile having a fuel cell mounted under a floor of a vehicle. In such fuel-cell-equipped electric automobile, a fuel cell system box is provided under the floor of the vehicle and the fuel cell, temperature regulating equipment, humidifying equipment, etc., are housed inside the fuel cell system box. The purpose of the fuel cell system box is to ensure sufficient space in the vehicle interior including both the cabin and the luggage compartment.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved fuel cell automobile that can secure sufficient space in the cabin and achieve a suitable layout for the piping and related parts for the fuel cell. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.